: in an ad released earlier this week, the romney campaign spoke directly to women, pointing to the economy as their key concern. penny zakrzewski agrees growing debt is her greatest worry. >> when the market crashed, we ended up having two more kids and staying in a home that is too small for us. >> reporter: a stay-at-home mom with three kids she plans to vote for mitt romney. to win virginia he needs more women like her. a recent cbs news poll shows the gender gap between romney and the president is widening, while romney holds a six-point lead among men, president obama has a 12-point advantage with women. polls also show women are more interested than men in issues impacting their pocketbook. political expert deirdre continentive says this election will come down to one demographic. >> it's going to be single women voters who are really going to be the decision pivot point in this election. >> reporter: single women, like kenny barnwell. she supports president obama. >> i kind of want to vote for the person i feel is fighting for me. >> reporter: two years after losing her job as a mar